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Topic: Kolsch: Lager on or off yeast? (Read 853 times)

So there was a thread a while back that talked about that, "German Lager flavor."

I have a Kolsch going with ECY 21 Kolsch yeast at 60F. I am about 10+ days into fermentation. Just curious what everyones thoughts are about lagering. On or off the yeast? The consensus was on the yeast for a month for the lagers. Just curious what the thoughts are on a delicate light hybrid like a kolsch? Does it matter? Thanks!

I have only done 1 Kolsch but I lagered off the yeast for 4 weeks in secondary after 2 weeks in primary.This was per the instructions in BCS.

You certainly can lager 4 weeks if that's what you want, and you may need to if you can't get the beer to clear. But it is by no means necessary. I've brewed a lot of kolsch over the years and it's no better at 4 weeks than it is at 2. Once the yeast is dropped and the beer is clear it is ready to drink. The fresher the better for this beer.

I have only done 1 Kolsch but I lagered off the yeast for 4 weeks in secondary after 2 weeks in primary.This was per the instructions in BCS.

You certainly can lager 4 weeks if that's what you want, and you may need to if you can't get the beer to clear. But it is by no means necessary. I've brewed a lot of kolsch over the years and it's no better at 4 weeks than it is at 2. Once the yeast is dropped and the beer is clear it is ready to drink. The fresher the better for this beer.

That is a Koelsch in the avatar picture, correct?

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Jeff RankertAnn Arbor Brewers Guild, AHA Member, BJCP CertifiedHome-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

I make a honey lemon Kolsch that is perfectly fine at 3-4 weeks, with only a week of that at cold crash temps. WLP029 is the yeast IIRC. It gets it done and drops pretty clear in that time. You can always hit it with gelatin if you want.

You certainly can lager 4 weeks if that's what you want, and you may need to if you can't get the beer to clear. But it is by no means necessary. I've brewed a lot of kolsch over the years and it's no better at 4 weeks than it is at 2. Once the yeast is dropped and the beer is clear it is ready to drink. The fresher the better for this beer.

I have only done 1 Kolsch but I lagered off the yeast for 4 weeks in secondary after 2 weeks in primary.This was per the instructions in BCS.

You certainly can lager 4 weeks if that's what you want, and you may need to if you can't get the beer to clear. But it is by no means necessary. I've brewed a lot of kolsch over the years and it's no better at 4 weeks than it is at 2. Once the yeast is dropped and the beer is clear it is ready to drink. The fresher the better for this beer.

same experience...a week or so of lager time for me is just to clear things up, and IME the kolsch clears nicely very quickly if all has gone well with the brew process. i use WLP029 exclusively.